The Next Move for Corporate Social Media Utilization: The Role of the "Social Connect Group" in Connecting Paid and Owned Media (Part 1)

For companies, marketing utilizing social media platforms like Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and TikTok has become indispensable. However, many companies still face challenges such as "increasing product/service awareness through SNS ads but failing to grow their fan base" or "struggling with branding."

Amidst this, Dentsu Digital Inc. launched the "Social Connect Group" in January 2023. This team provides comprehensive support for corporate SNS utilization, focusing on the theme of "integrating ads and owned content on social media."

This article features interviews with two core members of the Social Connect Group: Kaori Egusa, a planner at Dentsu Digital Inc., and Kentaro Matsuda, who works directly with various social media platforms. We explore the background behind the team's creation and its unique strengths across two parts.

Connecting the Often-Disconnected Ad and Owned Channels on SNS

Q. First, could you explain what kind of organization the "Social Connect Group" is?

Egusa: The Social Connect Group aims to achieve seamless integration across social media, bridging the traditionally fragmented areas of advertising (Ad) and owned media (corporate SNS accounts and owned media). Specifically, we manage planning initiatives that leverage social media platforms like Instagram, X, Facebook, and TikTok.

Q. While you mention connecting ads and owned media in the SNS space, many might wonder where the problem lay before and why this connection is necessary. Could you share the background—what client needs prompted the creation of this organization?

Egusa: It's widely recognized that social media's importance in marketing continues to grow. Historically, companies used SNS separately—either as owned channels or as platforms for advertising to drive traffic. Recently, however, there's been a growing demand for more integrated proposals. For instance, we often receive requests to create a consistent flow where people who discover a company through ads can then be welcomed through owned channels.

At the same time, we frequently see cases where client companies have separate departments or personnel handling ads and owned media, creating a disconnect. That's why Dentsu Digital Inc. launched the "Social Connect Group" as an organization capable of providing consistent planning from ads to owned media.

Q. Even when new users come in through SNS ads, is it often the case that owned media isn't providing the information or content that meets their expectations?

Egusa: There are various SNS platforms like X, Instagram, and TikTok, each with different strengths and unique characteristics in terms of the dual funnel (a funnel combining new customer acquisition and existing customer retention). Against this backdrop, we're increasingly being asked for integrated proposals: which platform to use for specific marketing challenges, what kind of advertising will be effective, and how to strengthen relationships with visitors to turn them into "fans."

Today's users are constantly checking social media in some form. While many companies successfully raise awareness there, they often lack clear pathways to convert those users into fans. Meanwhile, marketing agencies often specialize in different platforms, such as "Instagram experts" or "TikTok specialists." Recognizing that a team capable of designing cross-platform communication and planning optimized for each SNS could greatly benefit many client companies, we defined this as our team's mission.

SNS advertising connects to branding that cultivates corporate fans

Q. Mr. Matsuda, what area do you handle within the team?

Matsuda: I originally handled cross-platform client liaisons for various platform providers. While each platform has its unique features and strengths, the sheer number of options often leaves clients wondering, "Which one should we choose?" My goal is to propose cross-platform planning centered around social media, tailored to each client's specific challenges.

Social media is fundamentally a space for user-to-user communication, and how users connect with companies varies by platform. While advertising on these platforms builds awareness for products or services, fostering lasting connections requires leveraging each social media platform's unique communication style. Moreover, users increasingly adopt different personas across different SNS platforms. Achieving the optimal approach on each platform demands a planning-oriented mindset. This is precisely why collaboration between departments possessing expertise in both paid and owned media, like our "Social Connect Group," is essential.

Q. As mentioned earlier, I imagine many client companies have separate personnel handling paid and owned media. Doesn't this mean even greater coordination is needed on the client side?

Matsuda: You're right; there are cases where client companies are also divided by department. We hold study sessions hoping to create opportunities to bridge those gaps. We start by proposing how social media planning should ideally be done, then step in to facilitate a minimum viable start. That's the phase we're in now.

Furthermore, many companies are struggling with how to use social media in the first place. We also want to play a role in showing the way forward for various challenges, such as "We want to review our ad plans" or "Our owned media isn't attracting enough visitors."

Q. It seems likely that strengthening ads might eventually necessitate improvements to owned media. That said, many companies probably don't anticipate such a large-scale effort. The key challenge seems to be getting them to understand the need to rethink the overall concept design.

Egusa: That's right. Advertising on social media is an activity closely tied to branding, nurturing a company's fans. Owned media planners understand this point well, but if advertising isn't aligned and doesn't consider this, it can give users a disjointed impression. To help them understand the importance of linking advertising and owned media, we first explain how to grow a brand's social media presence.

Matsuda: Regarding owned media, we also encounter clients who express concerns like, "We have a certain number of fans, but we haven't quite reached that explosive growth yet." In such cases, we sometimes propose long-term plans. These plans focus on maintaining the current fan base while exploring how to evolve the owned media and gradually introduce experimental initiatives. We aim to work with the client to understand the optimal timing for incorporating ads and then implement a PDCA cycle.

Consider this scenario: A user sees an ad on a certain SNS, thinks "This looks good," clicks through, only to find the owned media has a completely different vibe, dampening their enthusiasm and causing them to leave immediately. Or, they see an ad for a product that piques their interest, but on the owned media, they can't even find where it is, getting frustrated just searching. Such cases are quite common, aren't they? We've come to understand that the role of the "Social Connect Group" is to prevent these disconnects, optimize the use of social media, and maximize advertising effectiveness. In the second part, we'll broaden the discussion to cover the unique strengths of the Dentsu Group and future prospects.